Women Voters Grab Poll Pivots As Politicians Entice With Doles

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Hemant Soren Demands Law For Monthly Financial Support To Women

By Manish Anand

New Delhi, October 6: Women voters made their presence felt in the Assembly elections for Haryana, and Jammu and Kashmir. The political parties are slugging out with each other to make best dole offers to women voters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sensed the power of doles for the women voters in the last year’s Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh. From a certain defeat per observers, the BJP registered an emphatic victory in Madhya Pradesh with credit for ‘Ladli Behna Yojna’.

The BJP raised the stakes for dole out to women voters in Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. Now, the political parties are offering monthly doles in excess of ₹2000 to women, in the age group of 18-59 years.

Also Read: Haryana votes to decide winner in battle of freebies

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren wants a national scheme for monthly financial support for women. Soren wants a uniform payment of ₹1500 to each woman, in the age group of 18-59 years. Above 59 years, women will be eligible for elderly pension scheme.

“Implement the scheme of sending ₹2500 to every sister in every state of the country as soon as possible under the Act. Otherwise stop spreading these false statements/discriminating between sisters,” Soren said in a post on X on Sunday.

The Jharkhand chief minister on Sunday announcement of the commencement of payment of ₹2500 per month to women in age group of 18-50 years. He took potshots at the BJP, which is promising ₹2100 monthly dole for women in Jharkhand.

Also Read: BJP, eying Chhattisgarh feat, faces uphill task in Jharkhand

“How ridiculous it is that those who talk of giving ₹2100 in Jharkhand? In Odisha, (the BJP is) paying only ₹830 rupees per month – only for 5 years; Only ₹830 in Assam (including terms and conditions); and Jammu and Kashmir promised that only one woman from every family will get the benefit of ‘Maa’ scheme – ₹1000 (including conditions); in Madhya Pradesh it is now ₹1250,” said Soren.

The Jharkhand chief minister wants a law enacted by parliament to make monthly financial support to women statutory. The only such law currently in vogue is Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Under MGNREGA, the Centre guarantees 100 days of paid works in the rural parts of the country. Lately, the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare show a larger women participation in MGNREGA.

If Soren’s wishes are fulfilled, women in addition to working under MGNREGA can also count on monthly support in excess of ₹2000 a month.

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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